1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cooling system of an LED light using heat of vaporization and an LED light including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cooling system of an LED light using heat of vaporization and an LED light including the same, which employ a dehumidifying agent absorbing moisture in the air while the LED light is turned off, and dissipates heat generated from the LED light using heat of vaporization caused by vaporization of the absorbed moisture by heat from the LED light while the LED light is turned on.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a lighting apparatus converts electrical energy into light energy and provides light for recognition or irradiation of objects indoors or outdoors at night. In recent years, the lighting apparatus is also used for indoor decorative lighting or display with colored lights using an incandescent lamp, fluorescent lamp, halogen lamp, metal halide lamp, mercury lamp, sodium-vapor lamp, and the like.
Despite inexpensiveness, however, the incandescent lamp has a shorter lifespan, inferior light emitting efficiency, and high brightness resulting in glare. The fluorescent lamp has higher energy efficiency and low power consumption than the incandescent lamp, but has longer standby time for lighting and a shorter lifespan. The sodium-vapor lamp, mercury lamp, and metal halide lamp involve greater power consumption, which causes glare and a shorter lifespan.
To overcome such problems, it has been attempted to develop a light emitting diode (LED)-based light that is semi-permanent, consumes less power, and provides high-efficiency luminescence. Currently, the LED-based light is widely used for various applications.
Use of the LED light has been gradually expanded due to its merits in view of fast processing speed, low power consumption, environmental friendliness, and high energy efficiency. Moreover, since the LED light consumes 60 to 80% less power than a common light, has a semi-permanent lifespan of 50,000 hours or more, and does not cause glare, it has received a great deal of attention in the field of lighting apparatuses.
However, since the LED light includes multiple LEDs mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), it emits a great deal of heat. Thus, if heat generated inside is not properly discharged or dissipated while the LED light is turned on for a predetermined time, the LED light will undergo efficiency deterioration. Further, when the LED light is used for a long time, the lifespan of the LED light decreases.
In order to solve such problems, Korean Utility Registration No. 336197 discloses a method of cooling an LED light which includes a small cooling fan to forcibly circulate and discharge heat generated when the LED light is turned on, thereby cooling the LED light. The method employs a mechanical component, i.e. the fan, thereby causing a complicated structure, a rise in manufacturing costs, a risk of malfunction, and an increase in volume of a system. Moreover, additional heat is generated during operation of the cooling fan.
Korean Patent Registration No. 822032 discloses a natural cooling method using air as a medium. Referring to FIG. 1, when power is applied to turn on an LED 1, light is emitted from an LED light unit 3 inside a lampshade 2 and the LED light unit 3 is gradually heated. Then, a natural convection pipe 4 is heated, so that air in the natural convection pipe 4 is heated. The heated air in the natural convection pipe 4 rises into a light socket 5, flows into a plug main body 7 through a ventilation hole 6, and is discharged to the outside from the plug main body 7 through a through-hole 9 and a vent 10 of a power contact unit 8.
The method dissipates heat of the LED light unit 3 by air convection where the heated air in the natural convection pipe 4 rises so as to be discharged to the outside through the vent 10 and cold air flows into the convection pipe 4 from the outside. In the method, air is used as a medium for cooling to reduce costs of repair and maintenance, while heat discharge is limited by weather and climate changes, thereby reducing cooling efficiency.